Christmas In July - Day 20: a Tuesday Tutorial goody!

Christmas In July - Day 19

Handmade Holiday Tree Centerpiece



Christmas my husband and I will travel to Chicago to spend the holiday with my Grandmother. There is nothing like experiencing Christmas in Chicago especially after the HOT summer we've been having so far. Living in South Florida it will be in the 90's well into October... We do have a very nice annual Winterfest boat parade, but there's no comparing it to the windows at Marshall Field's or the Festival of Trees at the MOSI in Chi-town...

For these travel holidays, I have my Holiday Tree to bring the holiday cheer to my house, without dragging out all the trimmings. Fashioned from wood dowels, and square of wooden fence post is lavishly embellished just like a regular tree - adorned with keepsakes, family photos, paper snowflakes, Scrapbooking embellishments, ribbon and garland. This is just the one side, and there is more to be added yet, but I snapped this photo before I junked it up too much - less is more...

This makes a beautiful centerpiece on the table and keeps the family busy reminiscing on all the photos I cherish on this tree. Best of all, I can change it for any season.

This tree is approx 26" tall and longest limb is 14". If you are interested in a naked tree form, base, various size hooks & star for the top ready to assemble and decorate - I'm happy to produce a naked tree structure as custom orders for $15 each plus shipping. Please E-mail me at mail { at } sbartist dot com.

Check back tomorrow for the next installment ; ) Sb

Christmas in July - Day 18

This sweet Handmade Holiday Card with Candy Cane is perfect to hold a gift card, teacher's gift or to top a special home-baked gift...

This sweet hand-stamped holiday card is 5 1/2" tall x approx 4" wide made with My Minds Eye patterned paper, with candy-cane spine decor [not for consumption], and finished off with satin ribbon and stickles glitter adhesive.

Inside is blank for adding personal message and comes with an envelope for mailing. The faux candy cane can be removed and replaced with an edible one...for an extra sweet treat! Sb

Christmas in July - Day 17

Today I'm feeling like some cookies, so I found these great holiday items that will certainly get Santa's attention...

From July 15th, through July 25th Etsy is promoting Etsy shops offering Christmas in July promotions. Please check out these and many other fantastic handmade items at Etsy by using search keywords ChristmasInJuly or CIJ.

Please click on the photo to go to the item link in Etsy.

This rainbow inspired felt play food set includes seven cookies, by LittlePicklepotamus are hand embroidered with sparkly pearlescent sprinkles. The cookies are approximately 3 inches and would be so cute on the tree, too.

For all the bakers out there - here's a find to top the cookie swap! Vintage 1978 - the full set of 12 cookie cutters, made right here in Wisconsin sold by vakvar at Etsy! The designs are oh, so 70s!

OK - this one is to relax after a long day of baking - but look good enough to eat! This box of 8 Bath Cookies by SugarSugarScrub are scented with Cotton Candy Fragrance Oil. Drop one or more cookies into your bath along with Sugar Sugar Bubbles or alone for a SWEET treat!

WhimsyFish loves to bake too - and likes to think of cookies as the jewelry of the the baking world. This *.pdf book is a collection of super yummy cookies and confections that her and her family have enjoyed over the years. Yum! I can do that!

This is such a great gift idea, from megscreations: Your choice of 3 cookie mixes in 32 oz canning jars. All you need to do is add the eggs, butter and vanilla then bake and you have homemade gourmet Cookies. Each mix makes approximately 2 1/2 dozen cookies. Quick and Easy - and baked with love : )

Enjoy - see you tomorrow...off to get the real thing, I need a snack! Sb

Christmas In July - Day 16

Hello everyone! It's finally Friday again - this week has flown by. If you have been checking in every day, you might remember July 9th's post featuring a set of stacking Santa boxes.

Well here is his trusty little sidekick "Elmer Elf" with "Rudy" the Reindeer. My apologies on the phone pix, they are the only one's I have. I just had to share it with you. This photo is of one that was made by one of my students at my local S.B. store, Sabrina, who is a constant source of inspiration to me - she asked me to come up with an elf to go with the man in red.

Elmer is also a set of stacking boxes, just smaller, when sitting next to Santa stacked. These stacking boxes are easy to make with patterned cardstock and some craft embellishments. My Elf was given away as a Christmas Gift so I'll have to make another.

The elf hat and ears give "Elmer" such personality and the paper pieced reindeer has my favorite embellishment - googlie eyes!

Happy Friday everyone! The month is halfway over, and there is much more ahead in my Christmas in July posts. Stay tuned...Sb

Christmas In July - Day 15

Wow - halfway through July already...

Today I am featuring some fabulous finds made by some real talented folks on Etsy.

Starting today, July15, through July 25th Etsy is promoting Etsy shops offering Christmas in July promotions. Please check out these and many other fantastic handmade items at Etsy by using search keywords ChristmasInJuly or CIJ.

Please click on the photo to go to the item link in Etsy.

Pinecone Charm Necklace by Madcandy at Etsy. This necklace was inspired by the gorgeous Ponderosa Pine trees of the Pacific Northwest which drop the most amazing pine cones!

Fun & Festive Lightning Bulb seasonal decoration by FromNancysHeart at Etsy. There's Thunder & Lightning, and Lightning Bugs but what about the least famous brother... the Lightning Bulb? Santa's favorite insect of them all - The Lighning Bulb!

This Pretty Cherry Red with White flower cup cozy by Jenco13 fits almost all take-out cups. Think Green and use this cozy everyday! A great gift item and it's also perfect for hot chocolate...or a hot toddy on a cold, blustery day. Jen also makes these cozies to custom order - I ordered two in Jet's Green and Yankees Blue & White for gifts last Christmas.

Stuffing a stocking has gotten a little cooler. A set of 10 Candy Stuffers by KelliCraftStudio3 are perfect for gift tags, stocking stuffers, or dressing up a holiday card. These treat pouches are small, but they add a little fun to gift giving.

This handmade Knotty Scarf by Ayca is so light weight,airy and perfect accessories. Fun and festive for the holidays or year-round...and depending on how you accessorize, you can wear it either as a scarf or as a cowl.

Hope these items gets you in the Handmade Holiday Spirit. : ) Sb

Christmas In July - Day 14

Today I was hunting around on Etsy for Ornaments. Since I make ornaments and have a collection of personally chosen treasures for my tree, I feel I am a sort of tree bauble connoisseur.

I found these great selections... and one is an instructable to download and make yourself. Being it is the middle of summer there is plenty of time to start your handmade holiday projects. I would love to make any and all of these. Enjoy!!!

Please click on the photo to go to the item link in Etsy.

Knit yourself a Merry Little Christmas!!!

This PDF pattern will instruct you on how to knit these original Christmas Ornaments by AmyGaines. Aren't they so adordable!!! I have to learn how to knit now - thanks Amy.

This colorful stocking by BloomAndBarnacle is not only super cute, but also eco-friendly! Made from thrifted sweaters and recycled felt, it's great as a tree ornament, package tie on, or simply a holiday decoration.

This unique ornament made of a "Sputnik" Sea Urchin by WadeCreations is perfect for a Christmas-by-the-Sea themed tree. The wood finnials really make this ornament so elegant, but compliment the natural beauty of the shell.

These recycled "REINBEER ORNAMENTS" and Non-Alcohol SANTA'S LITTLE HELPERS are Reindeer shaped ornaments made from recycled Beer and Soda Cans created by makeshoplive. These gave me a chuckle...so cleverly named and GREEN... Oooh and they have googlie-eyes, too!

These neat trees caught my eye and upon closer inspection, they are clay - not wood. Made by justmare from their woodland friends series, Tilting Pine is ready for the holidays! Each is hand crafted stoneware with a wood grain texture, and glazed on both sides... just like gingerbread & sugar cookies!

I hope you've enjoyed these ornaments - I looked at hundreds and I could keep looking for days. There is so many beautiful ornaments to be found to fill that perfect niche on my tree : ) Sb

Christmas In July - Day 13

Today's post is a card I've made for the holidays - a slightly different variation of a standard accordion card with a kinetic twist.

This fun and festive "Let it Snow" winter print is two sided and has 3 flipping windows to hold photos on each side.

On the green "Merry Christmas" side, I have placed an embossed "Ho, Ho, Ho" vellum paper rubbed with pearlescent white ink for extra shimmer. This card folds flat to fit into a standard A2 response envelope.

I'm thinking about making this as a custom card for my SalonDArte shoppe at Etsy. Perhaps as a set of blanks, that are ready to be decorated and mailed. Any suggestions, summertime crafters???

Here comes the ice cream man...catch you tomorrow : ) Sb

Interview with Smutopia -

EtsyTwitter Team's Shop of the Week

Our EtsyTwitter Team Shop of the Week is smutopia (smoo-topia), which offers jewelry and accessories by Jessica Smutek. Many of her unique handcrafted pieces are made of shells and other findings reminiscent of summer at the beach. My favorite piece in her shop is this "Seashore ShapeShifter" which is two pieces of jewelry in one-- you can wear this piece as a necklace or remove the chain link section and wear the beaded section as a bracelet! Sweet!

Jessica uses primarily stone, glass and metal beads and components in her work. There is such a variety of materials and techniques, "that it is impossible for her to get bored!" She says she “has always been inspired by the diversity of nature--so much so that when looking at my collection as a whole nearly every design falls into one of three categories: Sea, Earth, or Sky.” Her inspiration is very personal and so her art is very personal. As she puts it “Each piece I create is a reflection of the beauty I see in the world around me. I love the thought that my designs are bringing the beauty of nature to my customers’ as they are worn.”

On the business side, Jessica has some modest sales goals in mind for the year, but her artistic goal is to use more of her own lampwork glass beads in the designs she sells on Etsy. “I began making my own lampwork beads in April of this year and am completely hooked! I hope to introduce smutopia Jewelry made with ‘beads by Smu’ sometime in the next few months.

This summer, she’ll not only be working on improving her lampwork skills with the torch, but plans to get out and do some up close and personal collecting of materials. “Think beachcombing”, she says. Later, in the fall, she plans to set up the “smutopia traveling road show” at the Designers Downtown Market in Raleigh in September and November of 2010.

In the meantime, she’ll keep tweeting. Her Twitter philosophy? “Interact with people! Promote others, or offer advice and feedback. You’ll attract followers in greater numbers if you’re more than just a self-promotion machine.” Jessica feels that listing new items is the best way to bring sales to her shop “I find that keeping my inventory fresh keeps the gears turning by bringing in new customers from the Etsy homepage/categories, giving returning customers a reason to check in, and by giving me something new to promote through my social media connections.”

smutopia is offering a Shop of the Week
special from July 12-18:
a free zipper-pull charm with every purchase!
PLUS, through the end of July:
FREE Domestic AND International Shipping
~~~~~~~
Etsy Shop: http://smutopia.etsy.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/smutopiaJewelry
Facebook: http://facebook.com/smutopia
Blog: http://smutopia.blogspot.com

Special thanks to Judy of WellspringCreations for writing this post : ) Sb

CHRISTMAS IN JULY - Day 12

Today's post features this beautiful handmade kissing ball size Vintage Candy Cane Swirl Large Paper Lantern.

This is an One of a Kind large lantern size origami ornament made with Cosmo Cricket patterned paper, vintage red and blue, reminiscent of peppermint swirl candies. Paper is acid & lignin free. Each ornament is approximately 12" high from top to bottom of tassel with a coordinating 1/8" white satin ribbon loop to hang from (approx. 4 1/2"), finished with a gold filigree cone. A large gold bead flanked by red silver lined glass beads adorn a handmade red embroidery floss tassel. Each ornament is hand crafted - the paper form alone is 7" tall - kissing ball size; can be hung alone or in clusters. Each ornament comes with a recycled handmade gift box for storage.

I love making dimensional paper creations. There is a joy and zen quality about them when completed. What makes this ornament so special is the attention to detail, including handmade tassel and finishing touches...a true labor of love.

Check back tomorrow for more holiday ideas...What holiday crafts have you been doing this summer???

CHRISTMAS IN JULY - Day 11

Today's post features How-To's for Festive Holiday trees...

Of course, Better Homes and Gardens has some wonderful ideas, and we all can't be Martha Stewart...though she's always got the endless list of great crafty ideas.

Check out these fantastic holiday trees to decorate your home - that you can make. Please click on the photo to go to the blog page. Enjoy!

How-To make this Cute Christmas Tree from Lynn of Albany, NY at ThiftyFun

Make this Twine Wrapped Tree for $5. from The Thifty Crafter

How to: Table top Christmas Tree by Bleu Arts

Make this Fab Table top Christmas Tree out of FunFur by Roxycraft


Stephanie Barnes of little birds handmade made this cute soft tree. Very beachy...great for the Tropical Christmas in South Florida.

Hope you enjoyed these trees! Have a craft day : ) Sb

CHRISTMAS IN JULY - Day 10

Every year we send out Christmas cards - either store bought, or handmade. I always seem to have a couple leftover that aren't used...What do you do with all those leftover Christmas Cards???



Well, you could use them up next year. I never do that, I just save them in a box. I never want any of my family or friends saying, "didn't you send me that one already?"

So in an effort of "thinking Green" and saving a few dollars, a friend of mine at work and myself brought in all our "leftovers" and during lunch swapped out our leftover miscellaneous cards. What a great idea!!! I now have a beautiful assortment of 45 new cards for this year's upcoming holiday season and so does my friend.

This is a great idea to do during the summertime - have a get together with a few friends for a Holiday Card "SWAP-a-RAMA". You could even make tags or other seasonal cards, too.

Have a great crafty day! See you tomorrow : ) Sb

SalonD'Arte is Featured...

as EtsyTwitter Team's Shop of the Week

This weeks shop of the week is SalonDArte. Owned and run by the very talented Susan M. Brown {sbartist} from Fort Lauderdale, FL. Susan creates "paper-crafts mainly. Paper ornaments, lanterns, cards, collages, and mini books are my specialty. I paint, dabble in photography and other media, too. My items are quite different from knitting, crocheting and jewelry that many of my talented Etsy friends create. For my family and friends, they always get a special handmade gift from me - earrings or a bracelet - something special made just for them. Each item is hand made. A one-of-a-kind creation. Not machined, mass-produced or factory made - Handmade. Time and attention to detail is given to each piece and in many cases, I even make a custom package to give it a proper home. Even though the supplies may be the simple and small in nature, each piece comes to life with it's own character and special charm - making it something to treasure."

The favorite thing about my crafts is their simplicity and attention to detail. Being a graphic artist by trade, and a habitual perfectionist working in the printing industry, I focus on the little details - that one thing that is the finishing touch, the personality of the item. Especially with my ornaments. I have my own collection of personally chosen gems for my tree, and it's those details that always catch my eye.

I get inspiration from everywhere. Sometimes this could be a bad thing, because I am one who loves to dabble in many media - and I have many media at my disposal. A week ago Friday, I was standing in the Grand Canyon, what a beauty of nature, with so many juxtapositions of color and texture - so I was a photographer that day. Just this past Sunday I attended a clothing Swap-a-rama and ladies were altering clothes and silk screening on site at the event. A "Light bulb" went off over my head - collage my clothes...now I'm now off on another tangent! I have the luxury of using my Etsy shoppe for my alter-artistic ego. Lately I have been really into artfully recycling things, and giving things a crafty second life. I love making cards - they are a small canvas that can go in many directions. Also I love to teach, and I share my artistic, crafty knowledge with others, which is the greatest reward."

An insiders tip about how Etsians ship their handmade items..

"Something about shipping: I think that many Etsians would agree, we are in a quandry about shipping. We aren't in the business of selling shipping, just recouping the cost. Due to the odd size and shape of my items, the shipping may seem expensive. The ornaments and lanterns are made of paper & hollow inside - these have to be double boxed and have extra cushion to keep from being crushed in shipment. Honestly, shipping is a means of delivery, not profit. Many times the postage is more expensive than what I am charging to ship - it's more expensive than the item I'm selling in some cases. If it's not in an envelope and less than 13 ounces, the cost of shipping is getting pretty ridiculous.

I prefer to use priority mail, they provide sturdy packaging, the service is pretty reliable and the less time it's being handled the better. I have a beautiful china doll my uncle sent me for my ninth birthday that was delivered via UPS. When I opened the box and picked her out of the packaging, her neck was broken in several pieces. My mom was able to super glue it, but it was never the same. Now the glue is aged and brown on the white porcelain. It's a constant reminder to me that when it comes to shipping precious cargo, one should never be to frugal. Please keep this in mind when shopping with your favorite Etsy artisans."

Susan shared with me her special events or plans she has for SalonD'Arte over the summer. "Since this is my 1 year Etsy-versary this month and that most of my items revolve around items for the holidays - I will be celebrating Christmas in July ALL month long at my Etsy Shoppe and every day at the Studio Blog!"

Special deals or coupons for the week and how they work/are redeemed if you have them: July 5th through July 11th, all items in my shop will have FREE US domestic first Class shipping. No coupon code necessary. The shipping cost will already be adjusted. For international shipping, please convo for invoice with shipping cost.

Etsy Shop: http://www.SalonDArte.etsy.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/SalonDArte

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/SalonDArte/103281492810

Blog: http://www.SalonDArte.blogspot.com

Special thanks to our EtsyTwitter Team leader, Jen for writing this article. Please check out her shop at Jenco13.etsy.com or follow on twitter: http://twitter.com/jenco13.

Christmas In July - Day 9

Ho - Ho - Ho!!! Where's Santa Hiding???

This is a project I made out of 12" x 12" patterned cardstock modeled after a project I saw in a magazine made from decopaged paper boxes. This is much more fun, less expensive and real cute...and best of all this Santa comes with his own hiding place.





I even made a real Santa hat for him, by using a seam ripper to unstitch a regular santa hat, then hand stitch one triangle back together to make a perfect size hat for this stackable Santa. Stay tuned for tomorrow's crafty goodness.

BTW - only two days left of Christmas in July SALE - receive FREE US domestic shipping on all items at SalonDArte shoppe.

Christmas In July - Day 8

Today's second installment for Thursday is this beautiful clear glass ornament filled with glitter and a hand-stamped and painted acetate circle suspended inside. You could even put in a photo inside for a special personalized gift - and inexpensive, too. A pack of 6 glass ball ornaments, depending on when you buy them, can be as little as $3-4.00. Too bad not as many stores are doing Christmas in July these days...I used to get the best stuff in July and late summer months before the Holiday season frenzy.

How did I get the circle size for the inside? I used my circle scissor circle tool and I cut out several circles near the size of the glass ball. Then I placed the glass ball into the holes and the one that fit the most snug without forcing it in was the size I used. If the packaging has a cardboard tray, you could trace the circle shape from that, too.

So I stamped and decorated my acetate & cropped to a circle. To get it inside, gently pull out prong for hanger, roll image around a pencil or back end of paintbrush {something to fit in hole}, and gently slide it inside ornament and let unroll. Gently hold it so that it doesn't fall flat to the bottom {if it does, use pen to reorientate}. Add glitter with small paper rolled funnel. Then replace hanger with prong so that one prong is in front of circle image and one is in back and that will keep it from falling down.

This is something I made for my grandmother to give to her students. I sent her two-dozen of these. This is one of my favorite ornaments I've made. The one drawback of living in South FL - I spent $60 sending these Fed-Ex to make sure they made it there in one piece to Chicago - and it was worth every penny - not a single one was damaged.
Enjoy : ) Sb

Christmas In July - Day 7

Oops - I am so sorry! I totally forgot to post this yesterday, so today will be a 2-FOR-THURSDAY. I fell asleep in almost an instant when I got home from work last night...working as a Christmas Elf in the summertime is pretty exhausting - I could sure use a igloo or a snowcone right about to cool off a bit!

So here are some fabulous holiday finds, ALL with how-to's - and these are all things I have added to my EVER-Growing List of TO-DOs.

Please click the photo to go to the linked site. Enjoy. : )Sb

Go from this to this...

Gather a bunch of glass ball ornaments and a wire hanger
to make this fabulous wreath by: Hope Studios


Homemade Peppermint Marshmallows from: Little Birdie Secrets
YUMMY!

So cute! You too can make these Lightbulb Snowmen from Trash to Treasure Decorating


A NO-SEW Santa table runner from: Tote's Life

and...have you been Naughty or NICE???
Make these Lumps of Coal gift boxes from: Tatertots & Jello

I've had a great time searching for great holiday crafty ideas & I have one more
FANTASTIC blog you HAVE to check out and bookmark for later...with a perfect name -
SOMEDAY CRAFTS - Crafty projects and ideas to make when you get the time someday...